The town was small, not just in square miles, but also in population and in the simple pleasures that were afforded by its close-knit spirit. Neighbors knew each other--played and worked together. Mutual kindness and consideration were the fuel that kept this town marked with special and memorable moments of togetherness. To a little eight year old, however, the biggest thing was the town's bonfire on the school grounds of the elementary school during the Halloween season.
We all know what a bonfire is. But why the 'bon' before fire? What is the meaning of that appendage to a simple word like fire? I mean it really didn't seem like a prefix because I couldn't think of another word that began with 'bon.' Did it distinguish a regular fire in a different way?
Bon has Middle English origins. Mistakenly, some think it comes from the French word, bon, meaning 'good.' However, that doesn't seem to be the case. Instead, it means 'bones'. In Medieval times, fires were built up in the open air and often used animal bones as fuel for the fire. Historically, these large bonfires were built for both celebratory purposes as well as more sinister and evil purposes --i.e. burning of persecuted people who went against the Catholic church or falsely accused persons of witchcraft.
The bonfire was a town event. We kids would dress up in our Halloween costumes and families would gather at the field and the entire community of gatherers would walk around the bonfire together just laughing, talking, and commenting on who was who behind the masks. We weren't necessarily celebrating Halloween so much as we were being happy sharing something together in communal sense...enjoying the full sensory experience: the smells of Fall and apples, the sounds of crackling lumber as fire leaped high in the air, the shrieking of excited little ones, the sights of amber lights and shadows, the feel of heavy costumes and humid breath trapped by face masks, and, of course, the taste of candy, chocolate, and cider.
Today, I'm not so much into the trappings of Halloween, but I can, nostalgically, appreciate the moments of my childhood, the times past filled with comforting gestures of compassion and community flickering oh so vividly in my memory...yes, by the warmth of an autumn bonfire.